Top 10 Over the Top Plots of 1996

[DRW50]

I didn't have a problem with Wendy when she made Dinah bad. I thought she nailed the vulnerability too at that time. It was the poor little waif stuff that I just had no use for, oh look at this broken child of dreams, let's hear her say again that Vanessa failed her. Thankfully this changed when Laibson and McTavish left.

When Dinah was "good," I would have preferred more strength, since Dinah grew up in a carnival -- which is one of the reasons I bought Gina's version. That and the writing for Dinah was less one-note with Gina in the role, from what I saw.

[Mitch]

I thought I was the only one who thought GT played her like a dyke (and I mean that positively...) Now an Olivia/Dinah pairing would have been totally over the top HAWWWT, and probably send the straight male demos through the roof... (poor Liv, no one ever saw her value, and she ends up with one of the dullest characters on screen, besides Frank Cooper.)

Carl, I also like that GT brought a toughness to the role that made you belirve the broad was raised at a Carnie. I loved Moniz but I never for once believed she even went to Carnival, much less was brought up in one. Its funny, the first Dinah, and I can't remember the name, was very similar to GT in that she was tough, and kind of masculine in her aggression, and they replaced her with Pagie Turco, who acted like she just was dropped off from Boarding School (I am sure it was to counter Harley, who was the tough side of the tracks gal, but GT's Dinah could have ate her alive...)

However, Dinah's masculinity and Mallet's attraction to it always gave me hope that he was just a middle aged closet case, waiting for me to show him what life could be like : )

[DRW50]

Jennifer Gatti.

Ha, I think that Rob would have been better playing his Oz character moved to Springfield.

[darraholic]

The Brooke/Pierce/Janet storyline is what got me hooked on AMC in the 90's.

[Pine Charles]

A part of me really wanted that Janet/Brooke story to go on. I remember Janet tape-recording Brooke's voice and cutting a lock of her hair (to duplicate the color) just like she did with Natalie.

[Cheap21]

omg, she did that? What a crazy bitch...lol

[Pine Charles]

Yes! LOL! I remember her sneaking into Natalie's room while she was sleeping and cutting a lock of her hair -- and then she had a hairdresser duplicate the color.

Come to think of it, when it comes to Brooke, I think Janet only attempted doing that. That story was cut-off really quick.

[SFK]

I wonder how Julia would have handled that dual role s/l. I don't think they would have wanted to lose Mattson, so I bet they would have done the makeup/prosthetic route a la the actor who looked like dead Will.

[DRW50]

They had already fired Mattson in order to facilitate the story. It was only fan outcry, along with a story projection by Lorraine Broderick, which made them change their mind.

[SFK]

Ohhhhhh right, okay, I remember the hubbub about her firing but didn't remember it in connection to that s/l. Thanks!

Still curious about Julia's interpretation of the neurotic mess that was Janet.

[DRW50]

I think Julia would have done a good job but I'm not sure of the timing, because Brooke wasn't overly sympathetic at this time herself. The Brooke/Pierce story made her look a bit tacky, and I think some fans resented that she basically took Pierce and Laura from Janet's life. I also remember that awful love scene between Brooke and Pierce in Stuart's art gallery, with the weird strobe lighting. I kept wondering if Jennifer Beals' stunt double was going to take over for Julia. This was also around the time that the first Pierce was abruptly fired.

At that time RM's Janet was one of the best things about the show and helped carry it through difficult 96-97, so I'm glad they changed course, even if Janet still ended up going nuts again later.

[Vee]

As a kid I never understood why they kept throwing these somewhat younger, uberstudly men at Brooke. I mean, it's Brooke. Circa 1994. It reminded me of Soapdish, with middle-aged Sally Field married to "Bolt," half her age down at the gym doing leg lifts, at her bedside in a tank top as she was gasping on oxygen. I have come to appreciate Julia Barr since - after a long, long time and many terrible storylines - but back then it was like she was some sex goddess. Come on, no. Brooke?

[DRW50]

I think it was down to not having any idea where to take the character. She was a relatively isolated character compared to Erica, and she had the one great love, Adam, but Adam was a character who thrived on being in a lot of different relationships with women, so that left Brooke stranded. Brooke was also a "good" character, which left less room to move, another problem being that I don't think AMC did a fantastic job at this time writing for heroic characters.

I wish they'd made her a more embittered and scheming character after all her losses over the years, I think that would have been a good challenge for Julia Barr and fit the character more than the plaster saint image.

[MichaelGL]

And imagine her aunt Phoebe's reaction to seeing Brooke regress into the schemer she herself once was.

[DRW50]

Yeah, that would have been good. It might have made a more interesting story with Brooke/Laura than most of what Laura got.